An agency in Portland that assists the homeless and those with low incomes has received a $400,000 federal grant to support a coalition that will provide services to victims of human trafficking in southern Maine. Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann says sex trafficking and exploitation, along with labor trafficking, are growing problems in York … Read more
Preble Street will use a $400,000 federal grant to establish services for prostitution victims in Maine. Daniella Cameron, supervisor of Preble Street Teen Services, said sex trafficking – usually involving homeless girls coerced by men into prostitution – isn’t something that the victims will talk about unless asked the right questions in the right way. … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – An initiative put together by the City of Portland’s task force on homelessness to get 40 chronic homeless people into permanent housing is about to feel the impact of Federal budget cuts. Some of the people who received Section 8 vouchers have been informed they may be pulled and funding … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – The city has been touting its recent efforts to combat homelessness, but some say the problem remains serious and is about to get worse. In November, the City Council adopted the recommendations of a task force it appointed to come up with ideas for reducing and preventing homelessness. The recommendations included centralizing … Read more
Preble Street Resource Center, which has been helping low-income residents at its Portland location since the 1970s, landed a $1.7 million U.S. Veterans Affairs grant Thursday to expand its program for homeless veterans from Portland to the entire state. Mark Swann, Preble Street’s executive director, said the federal grant will help the group serve about … Read more
PORTLAND (WGME) — The Maine State Fire Marshals Office has identified the homeless man killed in a fire late Saturday night as 53-year-old Brian Barbour. Investigators believe a candle in Barbour’s tent along West Commercial Street started the fire. An autopsy shows Barbour died from smoke inhalation. The fire started around 11:30 Saturday night. A … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – If it appears that you are seeing more panhandlers on Portland’s city streets these days, officials at the Preble Street Resource Center say you are. Working with police and the United Way, the center is about to launch a study to find out what has caused the sudden influx and what they … Read more
PORTLAND – The city’s Health and Human Services Department is recommending that Portland establish housing where homeless people can stay sober, develop a team of specialists to help the homeless find housing and hire more workers to interview people who enter shelters. That action plan, to be presented Tuesday night to the City Council’s Public … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — A week of bitter cold has led to busy homeless shelters, as staff in shelters across Portland open overflow spaces and break records for occupancy and meals served. Staff at both Preble Street and the Oxford Street Shelter said they will not be turning anyone away, but they do need … Read more
PORTLAND – The weather turned dangerously cold Thursday, so cold that the Salvation Army opened a shelter, the governor declared a limited emergency to allow heating oil companies to make more deliveries, and Portland officials asked the public to donate blankets and clothing for the homeless. The city hit a low of 4 degrees below … Read more
